A construction worker has died and another is seriously injured after a wall in Cospicua collapsed on Thursday morning.

Police said that the incident happened at around 8am in Sqaq l-Erwieh in Cospicua. The alley is a tight one, with the collapse seemingly taking place at the end of it.  It is not visible from the street, and the alleyway has been cordoned off by police.

A police spokesperson told journalists that a boundary wall of a construction site had collapsed while excavation work was ongoing. No third party property has been damaged, the spokesperson said.

A worker was hit by the falling rubble and died on site.  The man was not initially identified, however police later confirmed that he is a 32-year-old man who hailed from Gambia. His body was removed from the site by civil protection workers later on Thursday morning.

Another worker, a 35-year-old from Valletta, was taken to Mater Dei hospital. Police later confirmed that he is suffering from serious injuries.

The area is near an old cemetry and is quite an old part of Bormla, with the buildings in the alley apparently dating back to before the second world war.

Court experts, including an architect, are on site. A priest was also present on site to bless the body. "Pray for his soul - he was only trying to earn his daily bread", he told journalists as he left the site.

OHSA representatives are also on site and were seen questioning a man believed to be the contractor.

A magisterial inquiry has been opened by duty magistrate Charmaine Galea.

Photos: Neil Camilleri